RAV VAN DEN BERG will head into the new season as an even more confident player after his successful first season with Middlesbrough.

This time last year, van den Berg was an unknown quantity following his summer move from PEC Zwolle, with even Boro boss Michael Carrick admitting he did not know how quickly the teenager would settle after leaving his native Netherlands.

Twelve months on, and there are no such concerns over the 20-year-old, who rapidly established himself as one of the most exciting young defenders in the Championship during his maiden season in England.

He will start the new campaign at the weekend as one of Boro’s key performers, and while he was not exactly lacking in self-confidence when he moved to Teesside last summer, he admits he is in an even stronger position as he looks ahead to his second season in the North-East.

“I don’t really feel different in a football way, but I think I had a decent season, and that means your confidence is better,” said van den Berg, who is set to partner Matt Clarke at the heart of Boro’s back four when the season begins with a home game against Swansea City on Saturday. “It has made me more confident I think, because it’s nice to have had a good season.

“I’m really looking forward to the new season now. I think I had a few good games last season, but I am hoping that the new season will see a new level of consistency. I can’t wait for the season to start, so we can show the fans we can achieve our goal, which is winning promotion this season.”

With injuries affecting Carrick’s squad, van den Berg found himself lining up at right-back in the early weeks of last season.

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The Dutchman fared impressively at full-back, but readily admits his preferred position is at centre-half, with his performance levels rising even higher when he was switched to the heart of the back four midway through the campaign.

The rate of his progress was remarkable, although van den Berg was always confident he would prove his value if an opportunity came his way.

“When I came here, it was always going to be difficult to get into the team because you knew it was an outstanding team,” he said. “I knew it was going to be tough, but I always thought to myself, ‘If I get a chance to get into the team, I will stay there’.

“That is what happened. I was at right-back at first, which is not my favourite position, but if the manager wants it, I will play there. Then, of course, I made the switch to centre-back and stayed there for the rest of the season. Was it better than expected? Not really, because I always knew what I could do.”